Sun Investigation
Colorado may toughen probes into institutional child abuse claims following Colorado Sun/9News investigation
Two children were struck by cars and died after running away from youth residential treatment centers in the Denver area.
Families kept in the dark about children’s safety in Colorado’s child welfare system
Colorado's child fatality review team did not investigate the death of a 12-year-old boy who ran away from a residential center. State officials refuse to release numbers of abuse allegations.
With bites, bruises and low pay, caretakers for Colorado’s troubled youth say there’s not enough staff to keep kids — and each other — safe
The state has shifted funding to child abuse prevention and away from residential centers for youth who’ve suffered trauma. Now those centers are on the edge of a financial cliff.
The deadly consequences when kids run away from Colorado residential treatment centers
So many children run away from residential treatment centers in Colorado that police departments are overwhelmed by the calls. Two kids have died.
“Fraudulent worker” investigation shakes Moffat County; human services director leaves job
County officials refuse to respond to inquiries about the staff shakeup and probe of more than 80 cases
Colorado child protection caseworker under investigation for falsifying reports about checking on kids, at-risk adults
The alleged fraud was uncovered after Moffat County fell behind on abuse and neglect reports, and the state sent in a team of 15 caseworkers to clean up the mess
Jared Polis is taking big money from private donors to fund key positions in Colorado governor’s office
The work covered by private gifts and grants include the Colorado governor’s top issues -- climate change, immigration and early childhood
Colorado’s 2015 law changing how officer-involved shootings are reviewed still lets police agencies investigate themselves
State lawmakers and prosecutors are vowing to push for and support changes after questions from The Colorado Sun about the measure
Oil and gas and private donors paid for initiatives in Hickenlooper’s administration, investigation finds
The donations overlapped with state business but the governor’s office had no conflict of interest policy, The Colorado Sun and CBS4 found
Coronavirus-related deaths among Colorado nursing home, senior-care center residents rise to at least 64
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is still not releasing the fatality data, citing jurisdiction and privacy issues
A Denver priest — his dad’s best friend — raped him. The state’s Catholic Church abuse report revealed the secret.
Neil Elms says he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Lawrence St. Peter, a Colorado priest who rose to high ranks in the Denver Archdiocese. St. Peter wasn’t removed from clergy despite “numerous, reliable, consistent reports” he was abusing boys.
A Colorado town removed its police chief and paid $50,000 to settle allegations against an officer. Then it hired a cop with past complaints.
Officials in the town of Springfield rebuffed multiple interview requests from The Colorado Sun made over several months, but a series of open records requests revealed a timeline of what unfolded
STEM School guard who accidentally shot student while trying to stop May attack wasn’t supposed to be armed
The Colorado Sun learned of the school's stipulation to BOSS High Level Security through an open records request. The guard's possession of a gun during the May 7 mass shooting may have violated Douglas County School District policy.
Gov. Jared Polis recall effort mired by infighting and legal questions about donors, review finds
The Official Recall Colorado Governor Jared Polis committee doesn't have the support to start its recall petition campaign July 8, but a rival group plans to move forward
GOP blasted Democrats for the 2019 legislative session. But they supported nearly every bill, analysis shows.
A dozen Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Kevin Priola, sided with the Democratic legislative agenda the vast majority of the time
The 2019 legislative session in Colorado explained in 5 graphics
An analysis of votes in the House and Senate shows Republicans split and Democrats in alliance on the 460 bills passed this year
No Colorado school districts meet federal safety standards for behavioral health staffing, investigation shows
A Colorado Sun investigation finds that despite clear connections between mental health and school shootings, far more funding goes to physical security measures
Twenty years after Columbine, Colorado schools are assessing an astonishing number of student threats
Some Colorado districts are evaluating an average of four threats per school day. Administrators say the process is sound, but others worry students' civil rights are trampled in the rush to protect schools from liability.
